IMG Academy · Regional Campus · Abu Dhabi · 2025
The feasibility case for IMG's first regional campus.
Client
IMG Academy
Practice
Advisory
Status
In Development · 2025
The brief
IMG Academy wanted to bring their elite multi-sport campus model to the Middle East. Before committing capital, they needed a regional operating thesis covering demand validation, program architecture, competitive landscape and a commercial model that would justify the build. We wrote it.
The approach
Three layers of work that shaped the campus model.
01
Demand validation
We mapped the addressable market for elite youth sport development across the GCC by sport, by nationality cohort, and by willingness to pay. The analysis separated day-program demand from residential, and regional intake from international.
02
Program architecture
Which sports, which age groups, and where does IMG’s US model need to adapt for the regional context? We built the program stack, sequenced the launch disciplines, and flagged where local regulatory requirements change the model.
03
Commercial structure
Tuition-only campuses do not work in this market. We designed the revenue model to layer community leagues, academic partnerships, national federation tie-ins and event hosting on top of the elite program — layers that subsidise coaching costs and keep the campus active outside school terms.
Sports in the founding program
0
GCC markets analyzed
0
Elite students in year-one model
0
+
Revenue models delivered to board
0
Testimonial
"Duplays didn't just design AllSports Arena. They taught us how to run it — and then they did, for the first 18 months."
Partner, AllSports Arena
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
